Method of and means for coating wire fabric



` April-15 192i? N, s. HARTER METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR COATI-NG, WIRE FABRICV 'Filed sept. .29', 192s 2 sheets-sheet? .Patented Ipr. Y5, 1927.

UNITED; STATES.

NOAH S. HARTER, OF. WAUKEGN, ILLINOISQASSIGNO T0 CYCLONE FENCE COM- PATENT roFFlcE.

PANY, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

. i" I `Mnrnon on AND MEANS non coATiNG WIRE FABRIC.

Application filed September 29, 1923.. Serial No. 665,607.

This invention relates to a method of and means for coating wire fabric. A One of the objects of the invention is to improve means 'and modeof procedure to uniformly and-to smoothly coat wire fence fabric in which transversely extending members or pickets thereof are loosely joined together and which may be moved out of l actual contact with each other without disconnecting them.

Another object isV to provide means for vremoving excessive coating material from the fabric as it leaves thebat'li and casting said excess material back into the bath.

Another object is to provide a new mode .of procedure for separating the links ofthe adjacent pickets, by c anging their relative speed of movement, a ter they leave the bath, to separate the cont/acting parts of theI pickets. u

Another` object is to provide means for. vmoving the fabric at a uniformly lower lspeed after it leaves the bath suihcient to separate the parts and not sufficient to bring them again into contact before the covering or coatmg is set by drying or cooling.

Other objects and advantages will herein-- after appear from a consideration of the following description, when taken in conjunc` 3o tion with the Ldrawings,vvherein *Fig. 1 is a schematic plan viewof a machine. 1

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. f Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a fragment of a fabric as it appears immediately after receiving the coating.

' ig. 4 is an enlarged section .taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 4o 5-5 of Fig. 1.

' In allfof the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts. 7 1

The invention will be explained with rre-- -45 spect to its use for coating fencing of the type known as chain fabric in which a series of transversely extending picket members are looselyljoined together by interconnection of their mesh w1res.

These picket members are loosely connected and independently movable to a limited extent, but not disconnected. When coating with paint, japan or a galvanizing coating it is desirable to maintain them out of contact to insure a smooth and uniform coating.

In. mycopen'ding application Ser. No. 647,096, filed June 22, 1923, noW Patent Number 1,489,076 I have disclosed a means whereby the pickets of the fabric are positively held out of contact with each other until the coating sets or dries. In the present application the pickets are separated by change of speed of movement at the time when the change takes place.

`In any event the sheet or strip of reticu# late fabric is submerged in a suitable bath of coating material, such as heated spelter, for galvanizing, or a japanning solution for a paint-like coating, or a suitable varnish or paint while continuously moving and after being submerged it is suitably vibrated to shake olf the excessof coating into the bath and allowed to cool and harden before being rewound into a' roll for storage or shipment.

In the drawings I have illustrated sche-` matically a, machine by means of which my invention may be carried into effect.

The machine is generally indicated by 10 in which a roll 11 of uncoated fabric, to.V be

coated, ismounted on a series of rollers 12A and 134 supported on a suitable pedestal 14.

A tub or kettle k15 contains the coating material, which may be molten spelter when the fabric is to be galvanized. The spelter 1-6 or other coating material may be heated in the kettle by any suitable means.

Located in the kettle and secured to an )angle bar 17 are a series of J-shape fabric guide bars 18 and secured to anr angle bar 19 is a dividing plate 20. j v

The fabric 11 is located in the kettle between the sides and bottom thereof and the guide bars 18. The guide bars prevent the fabric from rising in the nbath out of contact withthe coating material.

Any suitable means may be employed for` driving the machine.v The power may be applied to the driving pulley 21 which is secured to shaft 23. A sprocket wheel 24 on shaft 23 drives shaft '26 thru the sprocket chain 27 'and' the sprocket wheel 28 on shaft 23.

A shaft 29 mounted above the .outer-1 edge of the kettle is driven at the same speed as wheel 31 on shaft 29.

shaft 26 froma sprocket wheel on shaft 26 by chain 30, which passes about sprocket A series of fabric-moving sprocket wheels 32 are mounted on shaft 29. These sprocket wheels have sprocketsl properly spaced vto engage mesh openings of the fabric to move it into the tub.

Similar sprocket wheels 33 are mounted on shaft 26 tok pull the fabric out of the bath at the same speed at which it was moved into the bath by sprocket wheels 32.

.Sprocket wheels 34, smaller in diameten than the sprocket wheels 33, aremounted on shaft 26 and wheels 36 of the same. diameter are mounted on shaft 35. The sprocket Wheels 34 and 36 are connected by fabric carrying chains 37. The chains 37 are moving at less speed than the fabric is being moved by the sprocket wheels 33, because o f the difference in diameter of the wheels 33 and 34. i

The fabric 11 rests on the carrier chains 37 after it leaves the sprocket wheels 33. In the chain fabric '11 each picket consists of two wires 38 and 39 twisted together at intervals, to form meshes, and at both terminal ends, as at 40, so that each picket is a distinct unit loosely connected to an adjacent unit. When the chain of pickets, constituting the fabric 11, kis being lifted from thevkettle as shownin Figs. 3 and 5, inclusive, the wires of the pickets are more or less in contact with each other, as at 41, but when they are being transferred from the relatively fast movingv sprockets 33 to vthe relatively slow moving conveying chains 37 they are separated, as at'42, because the picket following the one which isl resting on chains 37 is moving faster and therefore there isproduced a predetermined relative movement of the pickets at this point.

After the pickets have once been separated in the manner described they will remain separated because when they find lodgment on the chains 37 they all move at the samev speed.

The separation of the pickets in the manner described prevents them from adhering together and leaves a smooth even finish.

' When the fabric is being raised from the bath an excessive amount of theA coating liquid is liable to adhere ,to it and form stalactites or whiskers which is objectionable. To avoid this effect I provide means for automatically striking the fabric a smart L blow atregular intervals.

To this end I provide a rod 44 extending across the fabric and supported on swinging arms 45, lpivoted to the frame 46 at 47. A three-arm bracket 48 "is pivoted to the frame46 at 49. Arm 50 is connected to the rod 44. Arm 51 is connected to a coil lspring 5 2 which is secured to the frame 46, at 53, yieldingly holds the bracket in posi tion shown in full lines in Fig/5. Arm 54 Jis normally in the path of the projections 55 carried by the wheel 5 6 and which is fixed on the shaft 26.

When a lug 55 strikes the arm 49 it moves the bracket .50 into dotted line position against the stress of the spring 52 with the rod 44 retracted. When the lug 55 releases -the arm 54 the spring causes the rod 44 vto move forward at high speed and strike the fabric 11 a sharp blow, moving the fabric temporarily as shown by dotted lines at 57. The'impact of the rod with the fabric causes the excess of coating material to become dislodged from the fabric and fall back into the kettle.

The fabric is moved at two different speeds. At one speed while moving thru the coating bath and at another speed after it leaves the first moving means, so that the pickets will not adhere together because of their separation due to this effect.

The sprocket wheels 33 serve to move the fabric through the coating bath while the smaller sprocket wheels 34 serve to move the conveying chains 37, which serve to carry the fabric after it leaves the sprockets 33. Although the sprockets 33 and 34 are on the same shaft and will rotate at the same speed, since they differ in diameter they will move the fabric at different speeds. This difference will cause the fabric links to be separated as they pass from the sprockets 33 to the conveying chains 37.

Having describedv my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

=1. A machine, for coating metal fabric having loosely connected, Vtransversely extending, longitudinally movable members, having a set of sprocket wheels to move the fabric thru a coating bath at a'I given speed and a set of fabric conveying belts to receive the fabricand to move it at a slower substantially constant speed.

2. A machine for coating metal fabric, having means to move the fabric through a coating bath; a rod extending across the fabric, .normally out of contact therewith; a spring to hold the rod in normal position; a bracket movable by the spring and hav- .ing an arm connected to the rod; another yarm on the bracket; ya wheel having spaced projections thereon to engage the latter arm and stress the lspring whereby'to strike the fabric with the rod when the arm is released.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatable shaft; a series of sprocket wheels thereon to engage and move a wire fabric having loosely connected members; another rotatable shaft, parallel with the rst mentioned shaft; a series of like wheels on each shaft smaller in diameter than the fabric-moving wheels and carrier belts connecting the like wheels on both shafts to'move vthe lfabric at a `slower speed than "when moved by said sprocket wheels.

4. A machine of the character described, for lmoving a fabric having loosely connected, transversely extending, longitudinally movable members, comprising a shaft having' sprocket wheels thereon to move the fabric at a given speed; a series of other vwheels thereon, of asmaller diameter 'and belts about the latter wheels to receive` and 10` move the fabric ata lower speed, to separate the members from mutual contact.

In testimony whereof I- hereunto subscribe my name.`

NOAH S. HARTER, 

